Maarssen, the Netherlands, 14 June 2013 - MIMETAS was awarded the prestigious LifeSciences@Work award during yesterdays' Dutch Life Sciences SME Event. 75 recently established Life Science companies were invited to compete through an on-line video pitch contest. The video pitches were analyzed by a professional jury, consisting of primarily investors and life science professionals.

MIMETAS today announces the appointment of Herbert L. Heyneker, Ph.D. as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Heyneker will be supporting MIMETAS in her mission to develop high-throughput Organ-on-a-Chip products for predictive therapy testing.

"Organ-on-a-Chip technology is extremely hot in the United States today. But none of the technologies I've seen so far comes even close to the level of elegance and sophistication that MIMETAS is offering." says Herb Heyneker, who is based in the San Francisco Bay area. "I am strongly convinced that MIMETAS technology has the potential to create a revolution in medicine development and therapy selection. [...]"

MIMETAS' co-founder Paul Vulto has won the Audience Award and the runner up Jury Award for Best Proposition at the International Conference on the Commercialisation of Micro- and Nanosystems (COMS). The jury, which included serial entrepreneur Steven Walsh and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Janusz Bryzek, called the MIMETAS proposition a technology that will change the world, having the potential to grow into a billion-dollar company.

The UK-based National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has awarded MIMETAS with £100k in the NephroTube Crack-it Challenge, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Roche.

The NephroTube Crack-it Challenge aims to develop a microfluidic renal model predicting renal toxicity during pre-clinical development. In collaboration with the UMCN Pharmacology-Toxicology Department and the Swiss FHNW, MIMETAS will develop a kidney-on-a-chip by combining its OrganoPlate™ 3D-culturing technology with the human renal cell line ciPTEC™.

MIMETAS and BHI created a U.S. subsidiary of MIMETAS to access the clinical, regulatory and scientific resources available in Central Maryland and to access the U.S. marketplace, the largest life sciences market in the world.

"We're very pleased to add Todd to the MIMETAS team," said Jos Joore, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer of MIMETAS. "Todd couples a vast experience in business creation with a profound understanding of biology and disease mechanisms. Most importantly, Todd shares our sense of urgency around enabling better medical treatment by using more predictive cell culture models."

MIMETAS and Galapagos will collaborate to develop miniaturized 3D cell culture models that mimic specific aspects of human diseases. These models will be applied to the identification and improvement of novel compounds. Dr. Richard Janssen, Senior Director of Target Discovery at Galapagos, states: "The MIMETAS platform is the first to combine organ-on-a-chip technology with our high throughput screening of primary human cells. As we see it, OrganoPlates™ make 3D culture as straightforward as traditional cell culture."

MIMETAS is part of Medical Delta: the consortium of top life sciences and medical technology partners in the Netherlands. Medical Delta is a research, sales and logistics driven life sciences and medical technology cluster situated in the economic heart of the Netherlands, between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam. In this Leiden -- Delft -- Rotterdam region, top-ranked universities and medical centers work together with industry and government to provide a dynamic environment for innovative spinoffs and international companies. With thanks to Roel Kamerling.

What do you need to turn a brilliant idea into a business? “A good morale boost,” says Abhishek Motayed, Founder and President of N5 Sensors, Inc. of Rockville. Motayed had that boost this month when N5 Sensors received two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards totaling $250,000. The grants came from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) towards N5 Sensors work developing low-power, computer chip-size benzene, carbon monoxide, and ammonia sensors. A 2012 UMD Invention of Year Award winner, Motayed has kept close contact with the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), a crucial participant in the creation of N5 Sensors. “My interactions with OTC were very positive and encouraging. They are very knowledgeable—they knew exactly how to advise me on funding, commercialization, and patenting,” says Motayed.

Strand Life Sciences (Strand) representatives will demonstrate new capabilities of the company's variant interpretation and reporting software, StrandOmics at the Association For Molecular Pathologist (AMP) 2014 Annual Meeting to be held from November 12th to 15th in National Harbor, Maryland. The 20th anniversary meeting's theme is "Realizing the Dream of Precision Medicine," with a special address by Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institute of Health. At AMP, Strand will host a workshop on the innovative developments and application of its StrandOmics software, plus new expansion efforts in Personalized Medicine.

Apollo Hospitals announced the launch of cutting-edge clinical genomic tests from the Strand Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, a part of Strand Life Sciences across its hospital network. These tests in oncology, cardiovascular, heritable eye diseases and rare genetic disorders shall be integrated into clinical practice by Apollo’s subsidiary, Sapien Biosciences in partnership with Strand Life Sciences. These tests, will help doctors diagnose disease more precisely, identify the optimal treatment and monitor disease & treatment course for better outcomes. Genomics is integral to Apollo’s focus on Research and Innovations. Genomic testing involves analyses of patient genomes – genes and sequences of DNA/RNA. The analysis helps create better prognostic tools for improved disease screening and prevention strategies. The patient benefits from optimized clinical care, personalization of treatment & monitoring of outcomes. These tests come with comprehensive pre- & post-test counselling to help the patient & their physicians to integrate the tests results into the clinical care provided. Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals says,“Apollo has always believed that personalized medicine is the future of healthcare delivery. Our Chairman, Dr. P.C Reddy’s foresight of personalized health is becoming a reality today with the availability of such cutting-edge genomic tests.”